U. S. Marines stationed in China before WW II were issued candy as supplementary rations. Legend has it that since sweets were then rare in China, Marines found that the candy was useful as barter currency, and that the Chinese word for prostitute sounded (loosely) like "pogie". Throughout the Marine Corps, candy soon came to be called (and is still called) "pogie bait". Any truth to the legend?

The following definition comes from the "Un-Official Marine Corps Glossary of Terms and ACRONYMS" at the link below:
POGIE BAIT - candy, snack food . . . . supposedly 'pooghie' is Korean slang for prostitute or illicit sex and the term originated during the Korean War. Candies and snack food were used as payment for certain favors.
Though a lot of Korean words have Chinese origins.
Nancy